Wanderer
Wanderers are winged beings, characterized by their inorganic wings, use of Rifts, and the ability to summon Animus. Their veins hold a mixture of both angel and demon blood from the Blighting Process. Wanderers exist as both guardians of certain humans and other sentient beings and protectors of the world as a whole. History Origins : Long ago, an angel named Cosimia caught the attention of a Demon Lord, Pyris. The Demon Lord demanded she marry him or he would kill someone she loved. Legends vary, some say the threatened one was a child, others claim a husband, and others say it was a family member. She, of course, agreed. Pyris used her, making her endure the very first Blight, in the hopes that she would become a weapon against the angels. She turned against him and killed him, but there is no way to reverse the Blighting process. Trapped forever as a Wanderer, Cosimia vowed to protect the angels. The heartache she felt was almost unbearable, so she locked away her ability to feel, and made sure that every Wanderer created would also be immune to emotion. Taking volunteers, Cosimia formed a Council of twenty-two Wanderers. She showed them the Blighting process, and then sealed herself away in room that would later become the Council Chambers. Around her, the White World was created and she and the Council keep the White World stable. The Goddess can be seen standing behind the Magnate’s spot in the chambers, her great wings stretched to encompass all of the Council. 50 Years Ago : A five-month-old human girl was Blighted by the Council to punish her Magi parents. Her parents attempted to fight the Council to save a family member, who was a freshly turned Wanderer. Blighting a child so young and unable to consent, the Council was punished in turn by Cosimia. The cursed child nullified the essence of Wanderers near her, reverting them to what they were before their Blighting. : The Council locked her away, planning to use her as a weapon to combat any subordinate insurrections. When her existence was brought to light, the Council feigned innocence and claimed it was for everyone’s safety. Wanderer Judge Travis and a small group of Wanderers took her to escape the Council and eventually found haven in Ravenhedge. Blighting : Also known as the Blight Ceremony or the Blighting, the process for becoming a Wanderer is basically baptism in the blood of a demon. Usually a person is on the brink of dying, but a corpse or a healthy being can be used as well. Cosimia dictated that becoming a Wanderer should only be choice and should not be forced. Cosimia’s figure is also surrounds the Blighting Pool, just as it surrounds the Council Chamber. : The new Wanderer is submerged in the liquid, usually by a Judge. Cosimia is said to bless them to give them their angel part. That’s when an excruciating amount of pain occurs. It feels like the person is on fire and drowning while being skinned. All their organs shut down slowly, killing them entirely. Their mind goes numb, and then slowly everything starts up again, little by little as everything is ‘reconfigured’. During this time, the new Wanderer’s soul is extracted and placed in a crystal shard and held by the Council in a special chamber. When they wake up, they’ll feel drunk, tipsy and unsteady with slightly blurry vision that slowly clears. They just feel off, and their minds are void of any fresh emotions. : Once they are somewhat back in their proper state of mind, their wings begin to grow. Pre-existing bones shift as the backbone, ribcage, shoulder blades and various other bones move and new ones form. These bones protrude and form into wings, while the pool performs a type of pseudo-surgery during the transformation. Once fully formed, the wings harden and turn to metal. The fresh Wanderers are removed from the pool and clothed, and an explanation is given of what they have become, if they have forgotten during the process. Memories of their past lives are temporarily gone but return over time. The Blighting is irreversible. Characteristics Souls : Wanderer bodies have no souls. The souls are extracted during the Blighting Process and kept by the Council in the Glass Room. Most Wanderers are unaware of this room and this practice unless they reach the rank of Deputy. Once a Wanderer is granted the Deputy rank, they are offered their shard. : Wanderers have no natural emotions. What they feel is synthetic, essentially memories of prominent emotions in life. They cannot feel anything they had never felt in life. Blood : Wanderer blood is silver in appearance and acidic in nature, able to melt through almost every known metal. Wings :Most commonly, Wanderer wings are metal in composition although they resemble classical wings of an angel. Metallic wing colors vary from Wanderer to Wanderer with most being silver or a type of gray. Some Wanderers wings may resemble bat-like metallic style or be made of digital energy. Male Wanderers tend to have plain silver wings, while females can have more ornate designs. The shape and type of wing are established during the Blighting Process and cannot be changed. :Wanderer feathers are essentially knives with a thin stem, sharp on all sides and extremely durable, able to cut through almost anything and able to withstand most traumas. The removal of feathers is like having a fingernail removed. When a feather is removed, whoever has the feather is able to contact that Wanderer. It acts as a communication and tracking device. :Wings cannot be regrown, and the loss of wings result in fever, muscle weakness, fatigue, seizures, vomiting, and ultimately death. The loss of a wing means an extreme loss of power, as wings are their connection to the White World. Only one Wanderer has ever survived losing a wing. Abilities Primary Ability : Every Wanderer has the power to control an element. The most common is a mastery of a element, such as fire, water, air, or stone. There are rarer abilities such as control over vegetation, magnetism, sound, electricity and light. Even rarer still are elemental powers over energies such as time and space where only one Wanderer has been control of that element. Feathers : Where angels can be summoned by calling their name, Wanderers are a bit different. Calling their name works, but simply thinking about a Wanderer has been known to summon them to a person’s location. Feathers are not to be given away unless a pact is in place, and doing so is a punishable act. The feather will not be taken away though. Any interaction between whoever has the feather and the Wanderer however will incite further punishment. Animus : Each Animus is unique to the Wanderer to whom it is bound and can come in any shape. Animus are extensions of a Wanderer’s soul. For ideas on that click here. Neuronetwork : Every Wanderer is mentally connected to their kin via a neuronetwork, which allows them to sense and communicate with other Wanderers in near vicinity in the Mundane World. The neuronetwork also allows Council members to issue orders to Wanderers under their jurisdiction. Wanderers with strong, mutual neuronetwork bonds between them can communicate telepathically with more precision. Otherwise, neuronetwork communication is more like a vague message or conveyance of an idea. Rifts : Wanderers travel through special portals called Rifts. Unlike angels, who port directly to locations, a Wanderer must return to the White World and then go to where they want to. However, a Wanderer traveling in the White World can bend space to almost instananeously travel to their desired destination. : Wanderers proficient in speed and utilizing Rifts are able to seem to be teleporting when in fact they are using rifts to move. When a Rift opens, for as long as it is open, both the White World and mundane world can be seen on either side. So when a Rift is opened, it is a portal into a different dimension, a tear in reality. Weaknesses : Wanderers cannot die of age and while they are tougher than most living creatures, they are able to be killed. Wanderers have two main weaknesses. One is gold from the Mundane world, and the second is Moonstone, the material native to the White World and the metal that their weapons are crafted from, colored like obsidian of the Mundane world. Injuries inflicted from either can very rarely be healed and will always leave scars. The White World : : The White World, also known as the Negative World or simply the Other World, is a dimension that layers our own. It appears different, looking like everything is in negative. Interestingly enough, blood appears red. Society The Council :Essentially the Senate of the Wanderers, the Council and the Magnate form the governing body of Wanderer society. The original 22 council members and Magnate were chosen by Cosimia herself. The Council votes and decides on laws and issues. Usually only one or two are ‘active’ at a time. When not active, Council members are stone. Though stone, they are still aware and can communicate telepathically with each other and other Wanderers. Laws : Wanderers are guardians of humans and as a result, their most important law forbids unjustly harming or killing a human. : A high-ranking Wanderer who tells an unauthorized being about the Glass Room is severely punished. Punishment : Generally, loss of wings is the only kind of punishment a Wanderer will receive. Under certain conditions, determined by the Magnate, a Wanderer will receive lashings from a cat o'nine tails tipped with gold. The number of lashings varies by the crime committed. Ranks Wanderer : Just a basic Wanderer with no specialty or job. : Num. of Wings: 2 Apprentice : These are Wanderers studying a specific trade or to fill a position. : Num. of Wings: 2 Artificer ''' : These are Wanderers that craft armor and weapons for the Wanderers. Generally, there is one Artificer for every ten Wanderers. : '''Num. of Wings: 2 Sawbone : A Sawbone is a doctor. They usually cannot leave the White World, as their healing abilities do not work the same way in the mundane world. When they do leave, they rely on standard medical techniques. Usually, there is one Sawbone for every five Wanderers. : Num. of Wings: 2 Deputy : Every Sheriff has one or more Deputies that assists them. They are usually chosen by the Sheriff that they serve with. A Sheriff may have several Deputies, but a Deputy will only serve under a single Sheriff. Occasionally, a Deputy will be promoted by the Sheriff to Judge or Sheriff status. : Num. of Wings: 2 Sheriff : Sheriffs are most often deployed to handle situations. There are 22 Sheriffs that were specifically hand chosen by a Council member to carry out their orders, and an additional 5 that have earned the title and act as law-keepers, for a total of 27 Sheriffs. : Num. of Wings: 2 Judge : A Judge and a Sheriff are equal in authority. Judges deal more with addressing issues concerning Wanderer laws. Occasionally, a Wanderer will bear both the Judge and Sheriff title. : Num. of Wings: 2 or 4 Executioner : Only two Executioners exist at a time. Their duty is as their name suggests. They are the ones that remove Wanderer wings and deliver other punishments to rogue or insubordinate Wanderers. : Num. of Wings: 2 Council Member : There are 22 of them but usually only one or two are ‘active’ at a time. When not active, Council members are stone. Though stone, they are still aware and can communicate telepathically with each other and other Wanderers. Members of the Council are compromised of some of the most powerful Wanderers in their society. : Num. of Wings: 4 Magnate : The highest ranking Wanderer, head of the Council and essentially the monarch. : Num. of Wings: 2 Characters Category:Species __FORCETOC__